State Senator Carole Migden's disclosure last week that she is battling leukemia sent political shockwaves through the LGBT community and added yet another twist to the bruising campaign between the veteran lawmaker and her challenger in the June 2008 primary, Assemblyman Mark Leno. The two powerful, openly gay Democratic San Francisco legislators barely hide their disdain for one another, dating from the bitter fallout that occurred in 2002 when Migden threw her support behind former Supervisor Harry Britt for the Assembly race that Leno went on to win.
Yet, when Leno began putting out feelers late last year to challenge Migden (he's termed out of office unless by some miracle voters pass an extension to the state's term limits) we expressed our concerns that such a race would be divisive and possibly tear the community apart. Now, nearly six months later, the signs of that split are beginning to appear.
After Leno's campaign kickoff, a Migden supporter labeled him a "kiddie porn king" on his blog, referring to an amendment to a child pornography bill Leno introduced last year. Leno's amendment, which would have made it a felony to possess 100 images of child pornography, went nowhere and in the end, the bill reverted back to the threshold of one image being enough for felony charges.
At last week's Milk Club dinner, Migden did not receive overwhelming acknowledgment from everyone in the room, which included many Leno supporters. One day after her decision to go public with her health issues, and facing questions over erratic driving that resulted in a car accident for which she immediately took responsibility and that ultimately led to her disclosure, Migden, a former Milk Club president no less, by most accounts gave a rousing speech that focused on healthcare and housing – two issues of critical concern to many in the community. But not all of the 400 or so people who attended saw fit to acknowledge Migden's many contributions with the respect that would befit a longtime political leader. Migden wasn't treated as well by the audience as she normally would have been if Leno wasn't running against her. She drew hearty applause at various times during her remarks, but at the end, not everyone stood up.
And, in the days following her announcement about her health, various local blogs lit up with absolutely vile personal attacks against her – nearly all anonymous.
Migden's decision to talk about her leukemia is an intensely private one, and one with which many people struggle. We routinely speak with people who do not want to disclose their health status, be it HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, or cancer, and Migden should be commended for coming forward. No one's giving Migden a pass because of her illness, and they shouldn't. Some accuse Migden of a cynical political ploy, but if Migden wanted to play this for sympathy, we suspect she would have come forward with the news a decade ago, when she was diagnosed.
When Leno held his campaign kickoff event in early March, he packed the stage with his supporters and vowed to run a positive campaign. During his remarks, however, one could not help but notice the veiled swipes he took at Migden. He said his campaign was about "bringing people together, not tearing them down and belittling them." He said that "the person you see here" is the same one you see "behind closed doors."
Migden has acknowledged that she can be "brusque," as she told the Los Angeles Times last week. And during an April debate in San Francisco she addressed what is perhaps the most troubling incident of her political career, a 2005 "ghost vote" when she voted for her own bill using the button of a GOP lawmaker in the Assembly. She called the move a "tactical misstep" and said she had apologized.
But during her more than 15 years in public office, Migden has made tremendous gains for the LGBT and HIV/AIDS communities. We would not have achieved the statewide domestic partner registry if it weren't for Migden. She authored the first bill that created the registry, and since then, numerous rights and responsibilities have been added to it – some by Migden, and some by other lawmakers such as former Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg. Migden secured $1 million several years ago for research for liver and kidney transplants for people who are HIV-positive; such patients were routinely excluded from organ transplants and died as a result. This year, she has a bill pending that would allow women to conceive with their HIV-positive partner or use a sperm donor after the semen has been specially treated through a cleansing process.
Leno, too, has authored groundbreaking legislation, including AB196, which added gender identity or expression to the characteristics already protected under the state's Fair Employment and Housing Act. Then-Governor Gray Davis signed the bill in 2003, making California the fourth state in the nation to make such discrimination illegal. And, Leno is continuing to push for his gender-neutral marriage bill, which likely will pass out of the legislature to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has twice said he will veto it.
Both lawmakers have brought state money home to the district.
The Senate seat is far more than a popularity contest – we don't choose our representatives à la American Idol. And given the recent developments in the Migden-Leno race, it seems to us that there are two ways the community can respond. Either we can rise up in a positive way and say we have two outstanding LGBT candidates who are seeking the seat or we can devolve into fighting among ourselves and casting salvos degenerating one candidate or the other, bringing out the worst in the community.
It's not a bad thing to have two qualified gay candidates running against each other. For us, the choice is clear. The community – and the candidates – should take the high road.